2018 sees lowest rate of S.Sudanese refugee arrivals in Sudan: UN
March 4, 2019 (KHARTOUM) – The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said over 33,100 South Sudanese refugees have arrived in Sudan in 2018.
In its monthly bulletin, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) pointed out that the 2018 arrivals “mark the lowest rate of new arrivals per year since the start of the conflict in South Sudan in December 2013”.
According to the agency, the total number of South Sudanese refugees in Sudan has reached 852,080 by the end of 2018.
OCHA added that “inter-agency partners estimate the arrival of up to 50,000 South Sudanese refugees in 2019”.
Over 2 million South Sudanese refugees have been displaced as a result of the conflict that hit the world’s youngest nation in mid-December 2013.
South Sudanese refugees in Sudan have reportedly been distributed in four states including the White Nile, South Kordofan, East Darfur and Khartoum states, amid concerns the current numbers will rise.
In August 2016, Sudan officially declared that South Sudanese fleeing war in their country will be treated as refugees, which opens the door for the UN to provide them with aid and fund aid programs.
Other sources estimate a total of 1.3 million South Sudanese refugees in Sudan, but this data requires verification.
(ST)